Clothes-pounder.



J. S'. TURNER & J. L. CAMPBELL.-

GLOTHES POUNDER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1, 1909.

Patehted May 17, 1910.

m h H av v M 3 H wihwooeo ANDREW B GRAHAM co. PKOTO-LITHDGRAPHERS, WASHINGTON. u. c

JAIHES S. TURNER, OF CADDO MILLS, TEXAS, AND JOHN LUTHER CAMPBELL, 0F CADDO,

OKLAHOMA.

CLOTHES-POUNDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1910.

Application filed June 1, 1969. Serial No. 499,331.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES S. TURNER and J OHN LUTHER CAMPBELL, citlzens of the United States, JAMES S. TURNER residing at Caddo Mills, Hunt county, Texas, and J OHN LUTHER CAMPBELL residing at Caddo, Bryan county, Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Founder, of which the following is a specification. v

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved construction of clothes pounder and the invention relates more specifically to that class which are hand operated and are designed to be dashed into water in which clothes to be washed are contained.

One object of the present invention is to provide, in a clothes pounder of this general class having a hollow body, a reciprocating plunger in the body which is'arranged to act in such manner as to render the pounder more effective in operation,the operation of the plunger permitting of the water being more readily forced through the mesh of the clothes beingwashed and also permitting of the device being readily withdrawn from the water without the employment of any considerable force and without splashing the water.

lldore specifically speaking, the invention contemplates the provision of a clothes pounder having a hollow body the walls of which are provided with openings for the passage of air into and from the body, and a plunger reciprocating in the body and arranged when in one position to close the openings and when in the other position to expose the openings. In other words the in vention contemplates the provision of a clothes pounder having a hollow body formed in its walls with valved openings to permit of the proper inlet and exhaust of air.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a clothes pounder constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 taken in a plane at right angles thereto, and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the pounder.

In the drawings, the clothes pounder embodying the present invention is shown as comprised in part of a hollow body which is preferably of sheet metal and has oppositely inclined side walls 5 and oppositely inclined end walls 6, the body, being by reason of the inclination of these walls 5 and 6, substantially pyramidal in form. The body is open at its bottom as is clearly shown in the several figures of the drawings and has fixed in its apex a handle socket 7 which projects at its lower end into the said .body. This handle socket 7 is intended to receive the lower end of the ordinary wooden handle employed in connection with devices of this class, as will be readily understood.

As heretofore stated, there is mounted within the hollow body of the pounder a reciprocatory plunger and as a means for confining this plunger within the interior of the body and for limiting its movement in a direction to leave the body, there isprovided a strip 8 which is secured at each of its ends to the lower edges of the end walls 6 of the body, is extended inwardly substantially in a plane with the bottom of the body for a short distance and has its intermediate portion extended up into the body, parts of the intermediate portion extending parallel to the corresponding end walls 6 as indicated by the numeral 9 and the remainder of the said intermediate portion extending horizontally beneath the lower end of the handle socket 7 and secured thereto, this latter portion being indicated by the numeral 10. The plunger heretofore mentioned is of a form substantially identical with the body of the pounder and is comprised of side walls 11 and end walls 12, it being open at its lower and upper ends and receiving at its upper end the lower end of the handle socket 7 as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. When at rest or in normal position, this plunger rests at the lower edges of its end walls 12 upon the lower end portions of the strip 8 as will be observed from an inspection of Fig. 1 of the drawings and the said end and side walls of the plunger are so inclined as to lie in planes parallel to the adjacent or corresponding walls of the body of the pounder so that when the plunger moves upwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, its said side and end walls will contact with the inner surfaces of the corresponding walls of the body. The function of this construction will presently be made clear.

As shown in Fig. l of the drawings and in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3 thereof, the end walls 6 of the body of the pounder are formed each with an opening 13 for the passage of air into and from the said body and it will be readily understood that upon the down stroke of the pounder in the water containing the clothes to be washed, the body of the pounder will fill to a certain degree with water and subsequently the plunger therein will move upwardly to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings thereby closing the openings 13 and preventing the exhaust of air from the interior of the pounder. Further downward movement of the pounder in the water will result in the water and air being forced through the mesh of the clothes. Upon the up stroke of the pounder, the suction force exerted due to the partial vacuum created within the body of the pounder will result in the plunger therein dropping to full line position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings whereupon air may enter through'the openings l3 and cause the water within the body of the pounder to recede without the usual splashing had with the use of the ordinary devices of this class.

It is preferable that the plunger be provided interiorly with aplurality of air pockets 14: which materially assist in the operation of the plunger and in the effectual cleansing of the clothes, these pockets being moreover desirable in view of the fact that the upper end of the plunger is open. In practice, the pockets are formed of such dimensions as to insure of rise of the plunger at the proper moment and of the admittance into the body of the pounder of a sufiicient and proper quantity of water. These air pockets, as is shown in Fig. 3 of the draw ings, illustrating the device in bottom plan, are, like the other elements of the pounder preferably of sheet metalcand are comprised of right angularly positioned walls 15 secured at their edges to the adjacent side and end walls 11 and 12 respectively of the plunger. These pockets are furthermore, preferably four in number one being located at each corner of the plunger and the strip 8 preferably extends between pairs of the pockets so as not to interfere with the proper reciprocation of the plunger.

What is claimed is 2-- 1. A clothes pounder comprising a hollow body having a handle socket projecting thereinto through the upper end thereof, a hollow plunger mounted to reciprocate in said body, a strip secured at its end to opposite sides of the wall of the hollow body and at the lower edges thereof and secured at its intermediate portion to the lower end of the handle socket, the lower edge of the body of the plunger resting normally upon the said strip.

2. A. clothes pounder comprising a hollow body, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said body and provided with air pockets, and a strip secured at its end to the lower edge of the body and having its intermediate portion projecting up into the body, the said strip extending between the pockets of the plunger the latter resting at its lower edge normally upon the strip.

3. A clothes pounder comprising a hollow body, a plunger mounted to reciprocate in said body and provided with air pockets the said body having a handle socket projecting downwardly thereinto through its upper end, a strip secured at its lower end to the lower edge of the wall of the body at opposite points and having its intermediate portion projecting up into the body and secured to the lower end of the handle socket, the said strip projecting between the pockets of the plunger and the said plunger resting at its lower edge normally upon the strip.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto affixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES S. TURNER. J. LUTHER CAMPBELL. lVitnesses R. NIooLns, JOHN L. BOLAND. 

